Is It Time for You to Hire a Web Designer?

Are you one of the 46% of small business owners who doesn’t currently have a website? To that I say, “What are you waiting for?”

According to Blue Corona, 66% of small business owners struggle with finding new customers. Giving your business a digital face to the nearly 3.5 billion Internet users  worldwide is a great way to reach a new and vast audience.

I realize that cost (in time and money) is a factor when it comes to making changes to your business. You’re already busy trying to fire up your business, generate leads, and improve brand recognition. So, how do you find time and excess funds to put towards building a website?

There are a number of options:

• Forego a website altogether (typically not advisable).
• Build it yourself.
• Use a website builder tool like Wix.
• Hire a web designer.

I would argue that it’s the last option that every small business owner should take. Ultimately, your unique set of circumstances will dictate what you can reasonably manage.

Let’s consider the pros and cons of hiring a web designer, and see if the ROI is worth it:

The Pros of Hiring a Professional Web Designer

#1: More Time

What are your strengths as a business owner? Unless you work in software development, web design probably isn’t one of them. By hiring a professional designer, you can take back that time you’d spend learning how to build a website and then actually doing it, and put it towards what you do best.

#2: Expert Assistance

There’s a lot that goes into building a high-performing website, including:

• A modern design
• Speed optimization
• Search optimization
• Social integration
• Mobile compatibility

This isn’t something that business owners inherently know how to achieve on their own. That’s why a web design expert’s assistance is critical if you want impressive results from your site.

#3: Customization

One of the alternatives to web design assistance is to use a website builder and do it on your own. The main issue you’re going to run into with this option is that you’ll most likely end up with a website that looks like everyone else’s. If you’re trying to stand above the competition, customization is the way to go. Having a web design partner who can keep your site up-to-date as trends change (and they do often) is also a huge plus.

The Cons of Hiring a Professional Web Designer

#1: $$$

This is one of the primary reasons many business owners don’t have a website. Web designers—especially high-end ones with impressive portfolios that you’d want to work with—don’t come cheap either.

#2: Bad Apples

Unfortunately, there are some bad apples out there. If you’re not familiar with what makes for good web design or if you’re trying to find someone to do high-quality work for cheap, you may end up losing money as you struggle to work with someone who’s a bad fit. Worse, you may end up getting stuck with a website you don’t like but can’t afford to fix.

#3: Time Spent

Hiring a web designer means you need to time to:

• Look for designer candidates.
• Assess their work.
• Conduct interviews.
• Train and/or familiarize them with what you need.
• Monitor their progress to ensure they’re doing what you’re paying them for.

Hiring a good web designer does take time, money, and energy. But it also ensures that what you get will be a solid return on your investment. It’s ultimately up to you to decide if you’re ready for that.

Nathan Oulman writes around the web and contributes on business topics. When he is not writing for others he operates Dailyhosting.net.